Animale
by LaurenMichelle125
Summary: Yamanaka Ino is a Konoha police officer. But what happens when she's assigned a mission to go undercover? To infiltrate Spiral, a well-known gang, and put her life on the line. Worst part is, Uchiha Sasuke isn't one to take betrayal well. CHAPTER 4
1. Animale

Title : _Animale_

Authoress : _LaurenMichelle125_

Chapter : _One, "The Assignment"_

Disclaimer : _I don't own Naruto _

* * *

_**So follow us, you animals  
And jump the line, the night is ours  
Scratch at the door, your name is not on the list  
Come on and show 'em your fangs  
What kind of jungle is this? **_

"Yamanaka! Get in here!"

The blonde haired woman's head jerked up. She looked over to her mentor who gave her a curt nod and they both stood up.

"Congratulations, Ino." He said and extended his hand. "This is what you've been waiting for."

"Ibiki-sensei..." The Yamanaka looked from his hand to the door where chief Tsunade waited. "What?"

The scarred man gave a smirk and withdrew his hand. "I recommended you for a promotion."

"You can do that?" Ino's eyebrows knitted together.

Ibiki chuckled, "With great persuasion."

Ino was still shocked. "Ibiki-sensei, if any deserves a promotion, it's you, not me."

"Nonsense. I've had my run. I've only got a few more years in this business, and I'm done." He looked into the Yamanaka's blue eyes and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I know you'll make me proud."

Ino felt her chest tighten and her arms wrapped around the larger man. Ibiki stood there for a moment before hugging her back.

"It's not like you'll never see me again." She mumbled into his chest and she only felt his arms wrap around her tighter. He didn't say anything, but he didn't need to. They both knew that bumping her up into a higher position would probably mean _exactly_ that.

"Thank you so much." She said, her voice still muffled. "For everything."

Ibiki chuckled again and pulled away from Ino. "You're going to ruin my reputation with all this hugging. Now go before-"

"Yamanaka Ino! In. Here. Now!" Tsunade's voice boomed through the office.

"That." Ino finished and smiled.

"Good luck, Yamanaka." Ibiki said and Ino nodded before turning around and walking towards Tsunade's office.

She had to admit that looking back now, joining the Konoha Police Force straight out of high school had been a pretty bad decision. Her grades were acceptable, but not enough for a scholarship to college, not enough money for college anyways, and after her mother passed away her sophomore year, working at the flower shop stopped being fun and started being some sick form of torture. Her father had broken down after her mother's death and turned towards alcohol and random women for comfort leaving the fifteen year old to fend for herself. He had disappeared somewhere in between then and her senior year.

After that, she had become engrossed in school work, even taking a psychology class in high school, which caught her attention. It was her teacher, who knew about her situation, that had given her the idea to apply for the interrogation department of the Konoha Police Force. It had been relaxing the first year, simply archiving files, assisting in interrogations and whatnot. But from the moment they put her out into the field, it was all downhill. Murder, rape and alcohol became her job. She remembered her first murder scene, she threw up. Ran from the house and regurgitated her lunch behind a bush. A medic had held her hair and patted her back throughout the whole scene.

She had become used to all the gruesome scenes, especially now that gangs resided all around the city. Being out numbered, all they could do was pick up the pieces and inform families of their son, daughter, niece or nephew's tragic end. During one Sunday, Ibiki had let something slip, and trying to cover it up was no use, so he simply told her. Root. _"What in God's name is that?"_ She remembered asking him. Root was an undercover organization founded by Chief Tsunade's grandfather. This organization dedicated itself to placing law officials into gangs and mafias. They monitored the way these groups worked and reported their findings back to authorities. Only law enforcement elite composed of this organization their lives becoming intimately involved with their job. This was Ino's last thought as she turned chief Tsunade's door knob.

The blonde haired woman looked up from her paper work and gave a small glare, "Could you have taken any longer?"

"I'm sorry." Ino apologized and sat down at the chair in front of her desk.

"Well, I'm sure Ibiki told you already." She said and crossed her legs.

"About...?" Ino trailed off and Tsunade gave a small smirk.

"About your promotion." When Ino stayed quiet she continued. "Ibiki seems to see a potential in you. Came to me _personally_ to recommend you for any higher position." She ruffled through some papers now and pulled one out of the stack. "I talked with Izumo just this morning and he seems to see the same potential in you that Ibiki sees. Says you've got a good head on you shoulders, your chakra control is excellent and your genjustsu's are phenomenal. One of the very top few he's seen. Of course that's no surprise, you're a Yamanaka after all." She read and looked up at the Yamanaka. Ino smiled. She knew there was a reason why she liked Izumo.

Tsunade set her papers down and pursed her lips. "Now, both Ibiki and Izumo have worked for Root." Ino blinked back. Of course she didn't know Izumo had worked undercover, but she thought Ibiki would have mentioned _something_. "We've had a spot open for a very important assignment and after careful deliberation and some question here and there, I've come to the conclusion that you seem like the perfect officer for the job. Not to mention you have the least to leave behind."

Ino flinched at her last statement. It was true, of course, but that didn't mean it didn't string. After her ordeal as a teenager, she found it harder and harder to have actual meaningful relationships with people, so she simply stopped. Tsunade stood up and walked around the desk until she was right in front of the other blonde. She leaned back against her desk and look, very seriously, at the Yamanaka.

"I know this is what you want, but this position is not, by any means, to be taken lightly. You're a beautiful, young woman." Ino gave a small smile at the compliment. "But that only means this job will be harder for you. Now are you positive this is what you want?"

Ino looked straight into the elder woman's eyes and nodded. "I'm sure."

Tsuande smiled. "Good. I was hoping you would be." She walked around the desk and sat down again. "Now turn in your badge and gun. You're fired."

Ino stood up quickly. "What?"

Tsunade began rifling through more papers. "You're fired. Turn in your gun and your badge."

When Ino didn't move, still slightly confused, Tsunade looked up. "Miss. Yamanaka, turn in your gun and your badge or else I'll have an officer escort you out." Still dazed, Ino unfastened the badge off her blazer and unholstered her gun placing it on the table and walking out of the office.

Trying to clear her mind, Ino focused on the situation. She stopped at her desk before wiping any doubts from her mind. _Think in between the lines, _She thought. And suddenly it all made sense, of course an actual officer cant be part of a gang, undercover or not. So she picked up her only actual item that decorated her desk, a picture of her once happy family, and started to leave. Ibiki was no where to be found, probably already left for dinner or something seeing as it was already nine o'clock. She sighed when a man blocked her path, toothpick in his mouth.

"Well, hey there, pretty lady." Genma smirked and Ino gave a small glare.

"Excuse me, Genma." She said and step sided him.

"A pretty girl like you shouldn't need to go home to a lonely bed." he called after her as her face twisted in disgust. It seems ever since she started working here, he was trying to talk his way into her pants. Which in no way, was going to happen.

Walking back towards her house, she couldn't help but think about all her questions. She didn't even know what her mission was. The Yamanaka stopped and looked behind her. Maybe she should turn back and tell Tsunade that she wasn't sure, that she didn't want to have this responsibility, but she thought against it and kept on walking towards her house.

After opening the door, she looked around. She wasn't usually home by this hour and her apartment was clean, seeing as she had done all the maintenance only a day ago, so she simply settled for sitting on her couch, taking off her blazer, propping her feet up and turning on the TV. Even with the volume louder than usual, it did nothing to block out all her thoughts. She found herself checking her watch every so often that she finally stood up turned the TV off and went to her bedroom, placing her wristwatch on the farthest dresser from her bed and laying there. She had dozed off at some point and was woken up by a loud banging against her door. Ino groggily got up and walked back towards her dresser, reclaiming her watch and looking at the time.

_4.26_

Who in God's name would come to her door at four in the morning? Still in her sleepy daze, she fumbled with the locks, mumbling all the way until she opened the door.

Standing at her door was a man... That she had never seen before. She was just about ready to close the door when he sauntered his way inside.

This got the Yamanaka's attention and she looked at the man who plopped himself down on her couch, disbelievingly.

"Well aren't you a looker." he smirked at her and Ino glared.

"Who the hell are you?" She eyed the man. His white hair was just about as long as hers and he could probably pass for her father.

He sighed, not even acknowledging her question. "What a shame you're my niece."

"Excuse me?" Ino asked, still not following.

"My name's Jiraya. Your father and I were brothers, and after hearing about your mother's death and fathers downward spiral to hell, I came looking for you. I," He pointed his thumb at herself. "am the owner of Icha Icha Club, where you will be working." He gave a big grin and leaned back. "I'll be assisting you in your Root assignment."

Ino's eyebrows arched. "You're from Root?"

Jiraya scoffed. "Not even close, but Tsunade made a deal with me. She got a lucky streak once and I still haven't paid her back." From his place on the couch, he looked around. "Not exactly the place where I'd think a blonde bombshell like you would live. Where's the giant mirror and red convertible parked, huh, Barbie?"

Ino felt herself seething.

"Could I help you with anything else?" She asked through gritted teeth.

"Oh, of course." he snapped his fingers and pulled an envelope from his back pocket. "Here you are, beautiful. Sent right from the boss-lady."

Ino reached for the white envelope as he kept on talking.

"I'd love to keep you company tonight, but you look like a morning person and I'm sure you're itching to open that envelope. Adieu, my beautiful Barbie." He brushed his hand against her backside and left.

Ino glared at the door even after he closed it. The nerve of some people.

She walked back to her room and looked at herself in the mirror. Her hair was a slight mess and her white button down shirt she had under her blazer was rumpled. She sighed and pulled the pony tail out and undid her shirt, grabbing the white tank top she usually slept with and her black sweatpants. After making sure the door was locked... Twice and turning off all the lights, she settled down on her bed and ripped open the envelope.

_Root member #0671077744_

_Yamanaka Ino,_

_Welcome to Root. You will no longer be identified as a law enforcement official. All past records under your name have been modified to fit your alias. You are to start your mission immediately and leave behind all personal belongings tracing back to your life. _

_Your mission objective is to join Spiral, a gang highly recognized in downtown Konoha. You must report back a brief profile of each of Spiral's members and investigate their ties to the Akatsuki. Very little information has been gathered on Spiral. _

_You will personally give your report to Jiraya every week. Absolutely **no** contact with anyone who could put your mission identity in jeopardy. _

_Profile_

_Name: Yamanaka Ino_

_Background: Mother's death at the age of 15. Father's disappearance at the age of 16. Found by father's brother, Jiraya, recently. _

_Members of Spiral: (as identified so far)_

_Uzumaki Naruto_

_Nara Shikamaru_

_Sabuku no Gaara_

_Hyuuga Neji_

_Uchiha Sasuke_

Ino sighed and re-read the entire document again. Tsunade wasn't kidding when she said she had the least to leave behind. The blonde placed the envelope aside and yawned.

"I guess I've got a new start tomorrow." She murmured and dozed off.


	2. Are You Ready ?

Title : _Animale_

Authoress : _LaurenMichelle125_

_Chapter : Two, "Are You Ready?"_

_Disclaimer : _I don't own Naruto

* * *

_**Are you ready?  
**__**Do you know?  
**__**I feel it too  
**__**I feel this for you

* * *

**_

Ino groaned as her alarm went off. She peeked one blue eye out and stared at the clock. Still half awake, all the memories flooded back to her. Jiraya, being fired, the new position. She kicked her white sheets off and her eyes immediately zeroed in on her closet. She groaned again. What was she supposed to wear? She was probably the most boring twenty year old in Konoha. She crossed the floor and opened the armoire, wincing at her closet.

"What have I become?" She whispered to herself staring at all the neutral colors in her closet. She pursed her lips. She could bullshit this, it couldn't be that hard. She stared at all the clothes for a good five minutes before running a hand through her hair. "I need a shower."

After mentally going through her closet, probably, five hundred times, she found something that was passable. Some shorts that she wore one of the very few times she went to the beach in high school and a simple gray crop top shirt. Now her next problem: Did they still fit her?

The shirt wasn't as short as she remembered. Only showing a sliver of her flat stomach from all her training, and her gray denim shorts fit perfectly. She smiled at her reflection. Shoes...

Well, her closet was hopeless. Instantly a light bulb went off, digging into the very depths of her armoire, she found them. Her old gray Steve Madden side zip boots. She slipped them on and stood up, looking back in the mirror. They reached a little below her knees, so she didn't _scream_ hooker. Maybe she whispered it.

The Yamanaka simply shrugged and braided out her hair, loosely, glancing around the room for things she needed. There weren't many options, so Ino grabbed an old messenger bag that she had used as her back pack in high school and shoved articles of clothing in there, what wasn't beige, khaki or navy police officer blue.

"How am I not clinically depressed?" She asked herself and slung the bag over her shoulder, walking out of her apartment.

* * *

Ino turned a corner and stared at the club. It looked like a giant warehouse. The whole building was in black paint and the neon red sign with the words Icha Icha was turned off. _This_ is where Spiral hung out? Alright. To each their own, she supposed. She walked up to the metal door and knocked. Ino could hear it resonate throughout the empty club and could hear someone walking towards it. She stepped back as the door opened and a girl with pink hair popped her head out.

"Um, hi. I'm here to see Jiraya." Ino said, still in shock at the girl's hair.

"Oh, that old pervert." The girl rolled her eyes. "Follow me." She opened the door wider and Ino walked in, looking inside. The bar was to one side, the stools lined up, neatly. A girl with two chocolate colored hair buns was wiping the bar clean.

"Hey Tenten. Have you seen Jiraya?" The pinkette called.

The brunette looked up and glanced at Ino. "He's in his office, Sakura. Where else would he be?" Sakura nodded pushed through a door that read 'Employees Only'. Ino, guilelessly, stood there, looking around the club.

Tenten circled around the bar and wiped her hands on the back of her shorts. "You must be the old man's niece." She extended a hand. "I'm Tenten."

Ino smiled and took it. "Ino. Nice to meet you."

"Ah, my sweet niece."

Ino held back her gag and instead, smiled. "Uncle Jiraya."

"I see you've met Tennie." Said girl glared. "This is Sakura." he nodded towards the pink haired girl who hadn't introduced herself.

"Pleasure to meet you." Ino acknowledged and Sakura looked her up and down and retreated back through the swinging door.

"Don't mind her." Tenten reassured. "She's just PMS-ing cause she's fighting with her boy. I've got it from here Jiraya." She said to the white haired man.

"Thank you, Tenten, my love." Jiraya called and returned to his office.

Ino followed Tenten to the back and through some double doors. Sakura sat there with a black haired woman and another girl.

"This is our hangout, basically." Tenten gestured. "We take our breaks here and just hang out. You've met Sakura." Tenten motioned towards the pinkette again. "That's Kurenai," She pointed towards the black haired woman. "She's kind of like our mother hen. And that's Hinata." She pointed to the last girl with the white pupils. "Ladies, this is Ino, Jiraya's niece."

"How nice to finally meet you." Hinata said, quietly, giving the Yamanaka a smile.

Kurenai stood up and extended her hand, like Tenten had done. "I look forward to working with you."

"Likewise." Ino answered, and shook the woman's hand.

"So what's your deal?" Sakura asked from her chair, crossing her legs, her white skirt riding up just a little.

"My mom died when I was fifteen and my Dad kind of broke down. He disappeared before my senior year, and well... taking it one day at a time, I guess." Ino explained and sat down on a chair Tenten had pulled out for her. "What about all of you?"

"The same." Kurenai shrugged. Ino took a moment to stare at the raven haired woman. Her blood red heels matched her eyes and her skin tight black dress hugged her in all the right places.

"How'd you find out you were related to Jiraya?" Hinata asked from her spot.

"He just sent me a letter." Ino lied. "I figured I had nothing to lose. And I needed a job anyways."

"Smart decision." Sakura smirked and Ino could see she was warming up.

Ino watched Tenten look around the Yamanaka before knitting her eyes together. "You're gonna be living at the studio on 2nd, right?"

Ino nodded, but the confusion on Tenten's face didn't evaporate.

"Where are all your clothes?" The brunette asked and Ino shifted her bag to place it on her lap and patted it.

"Right here-"

"Oh, no." Sakura stood up and adjusted her light green shirt. "Unacceptable." She glanced at her watch. "If we leave right now, we can be back in time to help Temari with her shift."

The rest of the girl's nodded and stood up.

"Wait. Where are we going?" Ino asked and Sakura smiled.

"To the mall, silly."

* * *

Ino stared at the large mansion, blinking a couple of times in shock. The girls had walked here, to the mansion, to pick up a car. Tenten had said there was no way she was walking all the way down to the mall and back and _then_ go through work.

"I'll get the keys." The brunette said and walked inside.

"You all live here?" Ino asked and glanced at Sakura.

"Mhmm." Sakura nodded. "Pretty sweet, right?"

"No kidding." Ino said.

"Who knows, maybe you'll live in there someday." Sakura winked at the blonde and Ino gave a small laugh.

"What are you talking about?"

"We do live in there, but with our boyfriends. They're all pretty close friends, so they had the house built and we moved in with them." Kurenai explained. Ino nodded. Some rich boyfriends these girls have. What were they doing working at Icha Icha. That place was disgusting. Ino shook off her thoughts of the club and redirected her attention to Tenten who had come out of the house, jingling some keys in her her hand.

"Hinata," Tenten looked towards the quiet girl. "Kiba said he wanted to talk to you."

Hinata smiled. "You go on without me. I'll see you at work." She waved and walked through the big double doors.

"Off we go." Tenten smiled and lead the pack as they walked towards the garage. She pressed in the code and the door began to open. Ino's eyes widened slightly and she gave a small whistle.

Tenten couldn't keep back her smile. "You like?"

"I love." Ino whispered and looked at the car. 2011 Camaro Convertible in a red tint.

"Neji likes to spoil Tenten." Sakura said and hopped in the back seat.

"Only when I deserve it." Tenten smiled and opened the drivers door, Kurenai taking the passengers so Ino settled for the back with Sakura.

* * *

A thousand bags later and a noticeably lighter wallet, Ino and the rest of the girls plopped down at the food court.

"I'm starving." Tenten groaned. All the girls looked at each other.

"Not it!" the three of them said. Sakura and Tenten saying it before Kurenai.

"Fuck." Kurenai swore slamming her hand down on the table. Sakura looked over at a confused Ino and laughed.

"We've got a little game. When we come here, the two last girls to say 'not it' have to go get our lunch."

Ino looked over at Kurenai who was still seething. The blonde laughed and stood up, patting the dark haired woman on the arm.

"Come on."

Tenten smiled at Ino, standing up.

"You'll get out of this one, but you know the game now." Tenten winked and walked off with Kurenai, leaving Sakura and Ino alone.

"I'm sorry I was such a bitch earlier." The pinkette apologized.

"Dont even worry about it." Ino shrugged. "Tenten told me you were having a bad day."

Sakura sighed and leaned back. "I guess you could call it that." She stared at Ino. "I just get worried."

Ino's forehead creased in confusion. "Worried about what?"

Sakura swallowed and leaned forward. "Well, our boys... They put themselves out there everyday and I just get scared that one day I'm gonna go back to the mansion and have one of them tell me Naruto isn't coming back." Sakura bit her lip and her eyes softened. Her emerald green orbs searched the Yamanaka's face and after concluding that she was trustworthy, continued. "The girls and I, and our boys are part of-"

"Well, well. Isn't it my favorite gumball and Malibu Barbie."

Sakura soft eyes narrowed and she stood up, facing the other woman.

"Beat it, Anko." Sakura growled. Ino stood up and watched Tenten and Kurenai leave their place in line to walk back towards our table.

"Or what?" Anko challenged. Her hair was pulled up into a bun and her leather skirt was dangerously short. Her black heels made up for her lack of height, considering the two other women standing next to her were taller. Ino watched Sakura's fist clench, but Kurenai grabbed her arm and pulled the pinkette behind her.

"Leave, Anko." The raven haired woman stated.

Anko chuckled. "Last time I checked Konoha Mall was no man's land."

"Exactly, so stop trying to pick a fight." Tenten glared.

"No one's talking to you, _Tennie_." The red head next to Anko sneered.

"Well, I wasn't talking to _you_, Tayuya." Tenten glared.

Anko disregarded all comments and made her way towards Ino, smirking. "What about you, Barbie? Nothing to say?"

"She's not apart of this, Anko. Leave her alone." Sakura said through gritted teeth.

Anko ignored her and ran her hand through the blonde's hair. The hand stopped and Anko glared at Ino's lack of emotion. She grabbed a fistful of the Yamanaka's hair and tugged it down, Ino wincing at the pull.

_Oh, hell no_" Ino thought and brought her own hand up, grabbing Anko's wrist and twisting it out of her hair.

Anko let out a small yelp and fisted her hand aiming it towards Ino. Ino dodged it and threw her own punch, successfully connecting with Anko's nose. The other woman let out a string of curses and tumbled back into her own group.

"You _bitch!_" She cursed at Ino. "Even _I_ know you're unclaimed property. Spiral wont protect you and you best believe Akatsuki will make sure you pay."

"Enough." Kurenai said. "You asked for it, Anko. Now leave. You know we're not supposed to fight."

Anko's eyes narrowed and she turned on her heel. "Tayuya, Kin. Let's go." She stopped and looked at Ino again. "Good luck."

None of the girls sat down until Anko was out of sight. When she finally was gone, Ino felt her stomach turning. _Spiral wont protect you and you best believe Akatsuki will make you pay_.

"I cant believe you did that." Sakura whispered, and when Ino looked up she saw the three other women looking at her.

"She pulled my hair." Ino said, trying to sound at ease, but failing miserably.

Everyone stayed quiet and Ino stood up. "I'm not so hungry anymore."

"Ino-" Tenten stood up and Ino lifted a hand to silence her.

"I'm fine. I just really want to leave."

"We'll go with you." Kurenai offered, already standing and Ino gave her the best smile she could form under these circumstances.

"It's really alright. You wanted to stop by Sephora, anyways. I'll take a cab home." Ino picked up her bags and began to leave before they could stop her. "I'll see you tonight."

Ino got home safely, to her relief, locked her door, dropped her bags and leaned against the front door. She seriously feared for her life here. She had just broken an Akatsuki's nose... and over what? A hair pull. She slammed her hand against her forehead. Stupid! Tsunade wasn't kidding when she said this job would be hard. Ino took a few deep breaths. Maybe they wouldn't really care. They were an almighty gang. Would they really spend their time hunting her down and "making her pay"?

"Yes." Ino answered her question and groaned. No use crying over spilled milk. The only thing she could do now was get ready for work and hope she would come back intact.

* * *

She had decided to keep on her shorts and shirt and simply switched her flat boots to ones with heels. As she made her way to the door and grabbed her keys, she really noticed the small studio. There was the small kitchen with its fridge and the division in between there and the "bedroom", which really only consisted of a small armoire and a twin bed and in the back of the small vicinity was the bathroom, a sink and a bathtub. Ino shrugged and opened the door, locking it behind her.

Her boots clicked against the cracked pavement and she stumbled when her heel would catch on a rather large crack. She finally made her way to Icha Icha and walked up to the bouncer.

"Ah, you're Miss. Ino." It was a statement and not a question, so Ino didn't know why she even bother to nod. The bouncer opened the door and let her in. Ino blinked and was actually surprised. The lights flashed in various colors and the bass of the song rocked her to the very core. Still in slight shock at how the club transformed from rickety old warehouse to "dirty girls like dirty beats" club, she made her way to the bar. She recognized Tenten and Hinata, but the third girl, with her sandy blonde hair tied up in four ponytails, was a new face.

"Hey Tenten." Ino called over the music and Tenten immediately looked at the blonde.

"Ino!" She beamed. "We're all good up here. You can go out back with Kurenai and Sakura." Tenten yelled. The Yamanaka nodded and made her way through the _Employees Only_ door. The moment she walked in Kurenai and Sakura went silent. Ino stood there, awkwardly, before she sighed.

"I know my life is endanger. You can talk about it around me, it's okay." Ino said, exasperated and walked over to her small vanity and dropped her purse.

"That's not what we were talking about." Sakura assured.

"Well, not directly." Kurenai shrugged and Sakura sent her a glare.

"Then, by all means, continue." Ino resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

"Look," Sakura stood up, standing behind Ino and placed a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Maybe we all haven't been completely honest with you."

"_That makes two of us." _Ino thought before turning around to face the pinkette. "What'd you mean?"

Sakura glanced at Kurenai who nodded. "Tenten, Hinata, Temari, Kurenai and I..." She trailed off.

"We're part of a gang." Kurenai finished and Ino shrugged.

"I kind of figured out that much." The Yamanaka said, nonchalantly, and Sakura gaped while Kurenai chuckled. "I told Temari she wasn't stupid."

"What do you mean you knew?" Sakura asked, still shocked.

"Well, after the whole," Ino raised two fingers to form quotation marks. "_You're unclaimed property. Spiral wont protect you and Akastuki will make sure you pay_. I kind of put two and two together."

"Well, that's what we were talking about." Kurenai said from her seat.

"What? My death sentence?"

Kurenai laughed softly again. "No, about your protection."

Sakura chose to elaborate. "We talked to the boys and they said they would help make sure you were okay until this all blows over."

Ino felt touched. They were going to actually protect her, the new girl. _Who lied and is secretly part of an undercover organization who is supposed to spill all their gang secrets to the authorities_, she mentally added.

"Of course, this is only temporary. We haven't had a new member in ages." Kurenai said.

"But it would be _amazing_ if they let you in." Sakura gushed.

"Who knows." Kurenai shrugged.

"Who knows what?" The sandy haired blonde asked from the door.

"If they let Ino join Spiral." Sakura answered and Temari looked at the other blonde.

"So this is Malibu Barbie, huh?"

Ino's eyes narrowed. "You know, the botany called me. Said one of their cactus's never arrived."

Kurenai and Sakura snicked at the shot the Yamanaka had taken at Temari's hair. Temari's eyes widened before they returned to normal and she smirked. "Finally, someone worth teasing."

"Don't pay any attention to her. That's how she shows love." Sakura assured.

"I'm sure that's what Naruto says about you." Temari shot back and Sakura glared. "Anyways, I'm dead and Hinata's about to crash. Do two of you wanna get out there?"

"I'll go. Anything to get away from you." Sakura muttered and walked out.

"Love you, too!" Temari yelled.

"Bitch!" Sakura replied, her voice muffled by the door and the music.

"I should probably go learn the ropes." Ino said and followed the Haruno.

It took a moment for Ino's eyes to adjust to the flashing strobe light, but she made her way to Hinata, who actually did look like she'd fall asleep on the spot.

"I've got it from here." Ino said and Hinata gave her a grateful nod, before disappearing through the door. Unfortunately, at the age of sixteen, Ino had played bartender for her father and knew how to concoct a majority of the drinks served at Icha Icha. She breezed by customers and when she checked her watch, she realized she had already been there for an hour.

"Tip tip!" Tenten yelled and Sakura smiled. Ino just looked confused. Sakura spotted the blonde and made her way over.

"Jiraya's got love for all of us, but not enough to let us drink his liquor, so when we get a tip, we kind of buy a drink. Since the tips get separated by the girls at the bar," Sakura motioned towards Tenten, herself and the Yamanaka. "the moment they're given, we all agree to buy a drink. So you want a drink?"

Ino smiled and nodded. Why couldn't she have just one drink?

Sakura mirrored the blonde's smile. "We're gonna have a Sake Bomb. Come on." Sakura pulled the Yamanaka towards Tenten who had three cups full of beer, a sake cup and two chopsticks for each beer.

"How do I do this?" Ino yelled towards the two other girls. Sakura, who was closer, answered.

"You take the chopsticks," She split them. "Place them on top of the cup and balance the sake on top of the chopsticks." Sakura paused to set up the drink and Ino followed. "Now, here's the fun part." Sakura smiled. "On the count of three, slam your fists against the bar, making the sake fall in and drink up."

"SAKE BOMB!" Tenten yelled as the people at and around the bar pushed to see.

"Why are they so excited to see us drink?" Ino asked.

"Cause they all know Jiraya's so anal about us drinking." Sakura laughed.

"One...Two...THREE."

Six fists slammed against the bar and the sake dropped into the beer, making a slight fizzing sound. Ino quickly downed her drink and set the empty glass back on the marble, laughing.

"Yeah!" The onlookers cheered and Ino felt Sakura wrap an arm around her shoulders as she cheered with the rest of the crowd.

The rest of the night went by. A shot here, a mojito there. A pick up line here, a rejection there. Ino had never felt so alive and … happy. As a bartender? Oh, the irony. Tenten had retired around two am, so Kurenai had come out to take her place. Even though Ino wasn't the only gorgeous girl working the bar, she was the only one that got hit on. _"Even the drunkards know not to try and pick up Spiral women."_ Ino thought. She glanced at her watch. Three-thirty. The club was starting to clear out, slowly. But one man at the bar never moved. The Yamanaka made her way towards him. She wasn't sure if it was the light or if his skin was actually that pale that it appeared blue. His small dark eyes eyed the blonde as she walked over, and Ino immediately felt uneasy.

"Can I get you anything?" Ino offered.

"Are you Yamanaka Ino?" His question caught Ino by surprised but she kept her composure.

"What's it to you, stranger?" She asked, smiling. The man chuckled and pushed his empty glass towards her.

"A White Russian." *****

Ino nodded and made his drink, leaving him to drink it alone. When she had turned around the man had left, the cup empty.

"Weirdo." Ino murmured and picked up the glass placing it in the sink. "You guys can finish off here, right?" Ino asked Sakura and Kurenai.

"Yeah, we've got it." Kurenai said.

"Hey, great job today, Ino!" Sakura said, slapping the Yamanaka on the backside, and giggling. Ino stared at the drunk Haruno, trying to sustain her laughter.

"Someone's had too much to drink." Kurenai sing-songed as she wiped the bar with a rag. Ino laughed as she walked out.

"Bye!" The blonde called. Hinata, Tenten and Temari had left a little earlier ("Slackers!" Sakura had yelled to the three as they left the club) saying how they were on the verge of passing out in the back and would rather be snuggled in their respective beds.

Ino sighed as she walked back to her small studio, rubbing her hands up and down her arms, trying to heat up. Sakura had given her her jacket, warning the blonde that the walks home weren't exactly the most pleasant without a jacket or sweater. Ino, completely distracted with trying not to catch pneumonia, didn't see the rather large opening in the broken cement, and before she knew it, her heel had slipped between the crack, lunging her forward and towards the ice cold pavement. But instead of a cold smack in the face, she felt a warm hold on her arm. She blinked and looked up to see the man from the bar. Smiling, she straightened herself, but his hand didn't leave her forearm.

"Thank you so much-" She began to say, but he grabbed her other arm with his free hand and pulled her into the nearby ally, slamming her against the brick wall. The force of the impact left Ino breathless. Tsunade's words echoed in her mind as the man pushed up against her._ "__You're a beautiful, young woman, but that only means this job will be harder for you."_ Ino was snapped out of her thoughts when the man began to whisper in her ear.

"You didn't really think we'd let you go after breaking Anko's pretty little nose, did you?" He asked and Ino felt her face flush with anger. These Akatsuki sent a _man_ to hit her, a woman? Ino opened her mouth to yell, but instead a whoosh of air came out as the man punched her successfully in the stomach. He let her go and the Yamanaka bent at the knees, clutching at her chest, trying to regain her lost breath.

"That's enough, Kisame." The blonde looked over into the depths of the ally as azure met obsidian.

* * *

_**Dun dun dun . Bwahahhahaha . See what happens when you guys leave me nice reviews ? I left this in the authors note in MTASF, but the title of this is actually the title of a song by **_**Don Diablo & Dragonette****_, go listen to it . It's ah-mazing._**

_**Also, go do the poll on my profile ASAP. As you can probably imagine Sasuke will be introduced in the next chapter (because you couldn't gather that much information *sarcasm), but go do the poll, go, go, go ! NO! WAIT ! First leave a review for the second chapter, so the third chapter comes up faster.**_

_*** White Russian - White Russian: This sweet cocktail is made with vodka, coffee liqueur(manly Kahlua or Tia Maria) and white cream. Milk sometimes substitutes cream and served in a old fashioned glass with ice. Despite the name suggests, it is not a traditional Russian cocktail but named so due to the vodka being the main ingredient and the White Russians were an anti-Bolshevik group from the Russian Civil war.**_


	3. Fighter

Title : _Animale_

Authoress : _LaurenMichelle125_

_Chapter : Three, "Fighter_

_Disclaimer : _I don't own Naruto

* * *

_**'Cause if it wasn't for all of your torture  
**__**I wouldn't know how to be this way now,  
**__**and never back down  
**__**So I wanna say thank you**_

_**

* * *

**_

"_You didn't really think we'd let you go after breaking Anko's pretty little nose, did you?" He asked and Ino felt her face flush with anger. These Akatsuki sent a man to hit _her_, a woman? Ino opened her mouth to yell, but instead a whoosh of air came out as the man punched her successfully in the stomach. He let her go and the Yamanaka bent at the knees, clutching at her chest, trying to regain her lost breath. _"_That's enough, Kisame." The blonde looked over into the depths of the ally as azure met obsidian._

_

* * *

_

The blue man in front of Ino scoffed. "What would you know, Uchiha?"

Ino blinked. _Uchiha Sasuke_. From her report.

"Well, evidently, I know you don't know how to treat a woman." The Uchiha smirked and walked down the ally, now coming into full view. He pulled a pack of cigarettes out of his jacket and tapped the bottom of the box. "I guess my brother's been slacking on his lovin'." He pulled a cigarette out and pinched it in between his lips, still smirking. Kisame's eyes blazed.

"Are you implying that your brothers gay?"

"Oh, I'm implying that both you _and_ my brother are gay. What do you think of that?"

"I think you should stop instigating a fight with me." Kisame growled.

The raven haired man scoffed softly now, pulling out a lighter. "I'd hardly call it a fight."

Ino didn't quite know what was happening, but she did know she was being ignored. And she didn't like it. "If anyone's going to beat this _fucker_ up, it's going to be me." Ino snarled, still upset that Akatsuki had sent him.

She could see Sasuke raise an eyebrow, a look of amusement on his face. The Yamanaka stood up, shakily. "I've got this completely under control."

"See?" Kisame smirked at the Uchiha. "She wants you to piss off and leave us alone."

"Yes, because you know what she wants."

"Enough of this _crap_." The blonde growled, fusing her clenched fist with chakra and punching Kisame square in the chest, the force of her blow sending him into the opposite wall, the red bricks crunching and falling around him. In a second, the blue man was up, wiping the blood from the corner or his mouth, rage etched all over his face. He made his way towards the Yamanaka when his advance was stopped short by the Uchiha, who now stood in front of her.

"This is over." The amusement from earlier was gone. "You're both even. Leave" Cold authority.

Kisame growled again, baring his teeth at Sasuke and then looking over at Ino. "This isn't over, you little whore." He threatened and backed away, turning on his heel and disappearing down the ally.

She stood there for a moment, simply staring at the Uchiha's back and watching the smoke from his cigarette. He took a long drag and threw it onto the pavement, crushing it under his heel.

"Well, I trust you can manage to get home by yourself, right?" He asked, not even turning around. Ino dumbly nodded and he tilted his face towards her. "Suddenly quiet, huh?" He shrugged and walked back down the way he had come from the ally. Ino watched him go and felt like an idiot. Why didn't she just say _yes_? He had been facing _away_ from her, of course he didn't see her nod. No matter. Exhaustion was taking over quick and she made her way out of the dark ally, towards her apartment.

That last move had been a mistake, she didn't need to use that much chakra, but she had to admit, she got some satisfaction out of that punch. She sighed and opened the door to her studio and made sure to double lock the door, before crashing on her bed.

* * *

_Bang. Bang. Bang._

Ino lifted her head and stared at the door. She had the biggest migraine ever and all she wanted to do was sleep. She placed her head back down. If she ignored them, they'd go away.

_BANG. BANG. BANG_.

"They'll go away." Ino cooed to herself, already beginning to drift back to slee-_ bangbangbangbangbangbang_.

"WHAT?" Ino screamed, incredibly frustrated with this person.

"Ino open this door, Jesus Christ. We thought you were dead." She heard Sakura say from the other side of the door. Ino sighed, standing up, unlocking the door and opening it. Sakura and Tenten stood at her door.

"Oh my god, she's _alive_!" Tenten cheered and rushed past the pinkette, tackling the blonde. Ino hissed and pushed Tenten away. The pain in her stomach was so unbearable that she had screwed her eyes shut. When she opened her eyes, Tenten looked slightly hurt and Ino felt suddenly guilty.

"Oh, Tenten, I'm sorry, its just that..." She tugged her shirt up revealing the bruise that covered her whole left side and even wrapped around towards her back. Tenten and Sakura gasped, staring at the discoloration of the Yamanaka's skin.

"I'll kill Uchiha." Tenten glared, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'll help." Sakura said, bending down to be face to face with Ino's midsection, her fingers brushing slightly at the skin. "Come on." The pinkette stood, tugging the Yamanaka inside her apartment. "Sit." She commanded and Ino placed her perfectly shaped behind on the bed. Her cobalt eyes watched as Tenten locked the door. "Now, this might hurt, but I need to see if you have any broken ribs." Sakura said, a look of guilt etched on her face and Ino nodded, pulling her shirt over her head, leaving her in her black lace bra and the shorts from last night. Sakura pressed around her skin and Ino winced.

"Sasuke came back last night and told us you had a run in with Kisame." The rosette tried distracting the blonde. "We all wanted to come over, but he assured us that he had helped, that you we're fine and that we should just annoy you in the morning."

"He was obviously wrong." Tenten gestured towards Ino's midsection. "Idiot."

There was a pregnant pause, and Sakura looked up at the blonde. "Hey, Ino?"

"Hmm?"

"Is it true you whooped Kisame's ass?"

Ino smirked. Sakura smiled and looked at Tenten, who had a proud look on her face.

"Good. Very good."

* * *

Ino sighed as she watched Sakura and Tenten pull at the clothes in her closet. The two Spiral girls new mission: Make Uchiha Sasuke feel bad/guilty.

"What about this?" Sakura pulled out a black tube top and Ino raised her eyebrows.

"I don't think so." The blonde replied, crossing her legs on the bed.

"What if we put this over it?" Tenten pulled at a see through white lace racer back shirt with a scoop neck. Ino nodded.

"And shorts."

Ino sighed. "I've been wearing shorts my whole time here."

"How about these rocker jeans?" Tenten pulled them from the hanger, the zipper on the side of the thighs jingling.

"That's better." Ino approved.

"And to finish it off." Sakura walked over to her messenger bag and pulled out a pair of black shoes with red soles and Ino stared. "My Loubotins? Or would you like something else?"

"Gimme gimme." Ino outstretched her hands like a three year old.

"Oh, I think she liked them." Sakura laughed giving the shoes to the Yamanaka. "Now, those are _borrowed_." Sakura explained and Ino nodded. "Now go get dressed. It's already," The Haruno looked at her watch. "nine twenty."

Ino stared. "When did you guys get here?"

"Around five-ish." Tenten replied.

"I slept the whole _day_?" Ino asked in disbelief and the other two girls shrugged.

"I guess, then again, you kinda got beat up pretty badly."

"Now go change." Sakura pulled Ino up by her right arm, far away from the bruise, and hauled her into the small, cramped bathroom.

A good ten minutes later, Ino emerged from the bathroom.

"God, what took so long?" Sakura asked, exasperated.

"I cant lift my left arm all the way up to put on this god forsaken tube top." Ino glared, snapping the material under the white shirt.

"Well," Tenten stood up. "If this doesn't make Sasuke feel bad, I don't know what will."

Sure enough, the white lace simply contrasted against Ino's marred skin, making the bruise even more noticable.

"Maybe I shouldn't wear this." Ino murmured, but the thought of having to take this _off_ now plagued her thoughts.

"Nonsense. We'll kill two birds with one stone and have all the men begging to buy you a drink and restore your honor." Sakura winked and Ino rolled her eyes.

"I'd rather not."

* * *

Ino watched as they pulled up to the club. It looked different at night. The red sign was illuminated and the line of people waiting to get in disappeared behind the building. The blonde hopped out of the car and Sakura tugged her to the front of the line where the bouncers nodded.

"Ladies." He acknowledged and unhooked the red velvet rope, letting them pass. The bass of the music pounded in Ino's ears and she could feel the pinkette tug at her wrist while Tenten stood on her left, trying to block as many people from her painful midsection. The way from the entrance all the way to the base of the stairs took forever. When they finally got there, there was another man, bigger than the bouncer from outside.

"Who's this?" He pointed at Ino.

"This is Ino. She's here to meet the boys." Tenten explained and he nodded. Sakura's hand never left her wrist, but as she passed the man grabbed her arm.

"I'm sorry, but since you're new, I'll have to search you."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "And where do you suppose she's hiding her weapons of mass destruction?"

He simply shrugged and Ino wretched her wrist away from Sakura, letting the man search her. He was considerate, not at all a pervert, like she had initially thought.

"All right, you're clear."

"No shit." Sakura muttered and lead Ino up the stairs. The pounding of the music had dulled considerably and Sakura pushed open a big metal door, much like the one Ino had knocked on the first day.

The room was empty except for Hinata, Kurenai and Temari who were all lounging around.

"Ino!" They all quickly got up off the couch and ran towards the blonde.

"Hold it!" Tenten stood in front of Ino, arms outstretched to stop the three. Six eyes looked at the brunette questioningly. Tenten moved aside and pulled Ino's white lace up and the three women gasped, just like Tenten and Sakura had done.

"That's what he did to you?" Kurenai's eyes narrowed. "I'll make sure Asuma has a _talk_ with Kisame."

"Damn, he got you bad." Temari quipped, staring at her stomach.

"When will the boys be here?" Sakura asked, and as if on cue, the door opened, a blonde, slightly resembling Ino, walked in. Sakura cheered and ran for the blonde, her arms wrapping around his neck and his, embracing her small waist.

"That's Uzumaki Naruto." Tenten explained as Sakura placed a kiss on his lips. He wore a light orange dress shirt, untucked and slightly wrinkled with black slacks. Some others piled in. A redhead, who made his way towards the bar immediately, a brunette with his hair piled up into a pineapple shaped ponytail, who looked at Temari and smirked. Another brunette with a cigarette between his lips, who pushed the younger man after seeing him slightly taunting the blonde. Kurenai had left Ino's side and was now by his. He, immediately, snaked an arm around the red eyed woman, and she pulled the cigarette from his lips and took a drag, dropping it to the floor, and stepping on it with the heel of her red pumps.

"The redhead's Gaara. He's our newest member and Temari's little brother. That's Nara Shikamaru," She pointed at the pineapple headed kid. "He and Temari have some weird flirtation love-hate relationship that's more complex than trigonometry. And that's Asuma, he and Kurenai were high school sweethearts." The brunette explained.

Yet, another brunette walked in, with two triangle tattoos on his face, he gave a toothy grin to Hinata and walked over to the four women.

"Ladies." He nodded. "_My_ Lady." He smiled and extended a hand towards Hinata, who mirrored his smile and took his hand.

"Inuzuka Kiba." Tenten told Ino and broke out into a grin when another man walked in, his pupils just like Hinata's. "_That's_ Neji." He looked over at Tenten and smirked, walking over. He placed a hand on her cheek and kissed her. Ino stood there, awkwardly, before sighing and Tenten broke her kiss, grinning.

"Sorry." She apologized. Ino watched the last man enter, and the one she realized was her _rescuer_ from last night.

Uchiha Sasuke. Now in the light, she could see him better. His dark hair was swept back in gel-aided spikes and his eyes were so dark, his pupils were completely lost within them. He wore a white dress shirt, untucked, just like the Uzumaki, with black dress pants and his jacket thrown over his shoulder. Ino could see the outline of his pack of cigarettes in his front pocket.

Ino chuckled quietly to herself. She knew people like him. He was arrogant, and the worst kind. He possessed that rare validated vanity, or in other words, he was sexy... and he knew it.

Next to her, Ino could see Tenten tug on Neji's shirt and point towards Ino's midsection.

"What?" She heard him ask.

"Look at her stomach." Tenten answered, loud enough for everyone to hear. Ino felt _everyone_'s eyes on her and a collective hiss.

"Is this the extent of your protection, Uchiha?" The redhead glared as he stood up, walking over towards the Yamanaka, pulling up the lace, making Ino gasp at his audacity. Did he just go around lifting girl's shirts up? But Ino had to admit, there was something about him that made her stance shift and heart skip a beat under his sea foam green eyes.

"How could you let this happen?" Sakura asked, hand intertwined with the Uzumaki's.

"I'm sure that if Sasuke knew how bad Ino-chan's injuries were-" Naruto started.

"I would have beat Kisame to a bloody pulp." The Uchiha finished, still looking at Ino's marred skin.

"I was going to say, taken her to the hospital, but I'm sure you would have done that, too." Naruto smirked at the way the Uchiha glared at him. Ino stepped back from the redhead, and he let go of her shirt, the fabric falling back into place.

"Well, what's done is done." Naruto said, earning a whack from the pinkette. "It is!" He defended. "Why we're all really here is for Yamanaka Ino's possible induction into Spiral."

"What?" Ino asked, looking around the room towards all the women, who were smiling. "I'm in?"

"If you pass through initiation, of course." The Uchiha smirked at the Yamanaka, who gulped.

* * *

_**Taaaa-daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Chapter three. I'm so glad so many of you like this story. My email has been bombarded with favorite story and review emails and all that amazing stuff :')I began to write this differently, and in the other version, Sasuke actually brought Ino back to the Spiral mansion after the whole Kisame thing, but it wasn't flowing as nicely as I thought, so I made Ino go home. Hahaha . So there it is. I'll leave the poll on my profile open until I reach the chapter that will make the pairing definite. This **_**is****_ a SasuIno, though. No doubt about that. _**

_**Oh, and to Kigaroo, Happy belated Valentines to you, too :)**_

_**& again : R E V I E W R E V I E W R E V I E W .**_


	4. Chain Reaction

Title : _Animale_

Authoress : _LaurenMichelle125_

_Chapter : Four, "Chain Reaction"_

* * *

_Disclaimer : _I don't own Naruto

_**You hit me like a shot of whiskey**_

_**You got me walking sideways**_

_**Tunnel vision feeling frisky**_

_**Want to get you stuck on replay**_

* * *

"_Well, what's done is done." Naruto said, earning a whack from the pinkette. "It is!" He defended. "Why we're all really here is for Yamanaka Ino's possible induction into Spiral." _

"_What?" Ino asked, looking around the room towards all the women, who were smiling. "I'm in?"_

"_If you pass through initiation, of course." The Uchiha smirked at the Yamanaka._

"Initiation?" Ino repeated. None of the girls had said _anything_ about initiation.

"Initiation." The Uchiha confirmed, smirk still intact.

"You have to challenge the leaders." Naruto pointed a thumb towards himself and Sasuke.

"Oh." Ino shrugged. That was easy.

"And you have to win." Sasuke added, amusement dancing around his ebony eyes. Win? _Win?_ She had to _win_? She had never been dropped as a child, so there was no delusional thought in her mind that she was stronger than they were. Her brain went into overdrive, very quickly. She bit the inside of her lip to keep her grin at bay.

"Alright." Ino nodded and pointed a finger at Naruto. " I challenge you to a drinking contest." She pointed at Sasuke now. "And you, to a genjutsu match."

Sasuke's eyebrows raised in slight disbelief. "You're going to try and out drink Konoha's stomach of steel and beat a Sharingan user at genjutsu."

"Maybe Kisame hit her too hard." Kiba commented and Sasuke smirked.

"Probably."

Ino held back her glare. "Well, if you're too afraid, I guess that counts as a forfeit, in which case I would win." The blonde shrugged and Sasuke's smirk was wiped from his face. Yamanaka Ino knew her way around a man's ego and she had no trouble exploiting their weaknesses. One of them: loosing to a girl.

"Heh. I like her." Naruto grinned and gestured for the redhead to bring them a bottle.

"Alright, Yamanaka. If you're such a hot shot," Sasuke pointed to the bar. "Pick your poison."

Perfect. Ino smiled and, confidently, looked over at the redhead. "Bring me the strongest vodka you've got."

She could see Sakura smile and Tenten give a look to Kurenai. She and Naruto sat down at a table with two chairs as Gaara placed two shot glasses and the vodka between them.

"Good luck." He said to the Yamanaka and Ino smiled, blushing slightly.

"Well," Naruto poured them their first shot and placed the bottle back down at the table. "Bottom's up." Both blonde through their heads back, the burning liquid rushing down their throat.

Naruto looked over at the other blonde. He had to admit, he was impressed. He was always going to let the Yamanaka win, after all, he could see Sasuke had taking a liking to her, and it was time for the Uchiha to settle _down_ already. They took another shot and he watched as she shook her head, willing the taste to go away faster. In all honesty, he never expected her to go this far. He was already slightly buzzed, but by the way the Yamanaka had one hand on the table, it was obvious that she was a little past drunk.

"I'll never have vodka again." Ino muttered, her tongue heavy in her mouth, causing her words to slur slightly. Naruto smiled and pushed his shot glass away.

"Well, I don't feel all that well, so I'll forfeit. Congratulations, Ino. Looks like you out drank me."

"What?" Sasuke glared at the blonde, who was smirking. Naruto was still perfectly coherent. "Fine."

"She's all yours, Sasuke." Naruto said and stood up, not tripping at all, and walked over to the couch, where Sakura sat, and placed an arm around her shoulder.

Ino scooted her chair, hand never leaving the table, to get a better look at the Uchiha. "Ohkaay." She dragged out. "Do your worst." Sasuke walked over and bent down, to be at eye level with her. Ino stared into his eyes as the red swirled around, and then she felt it. Him inside her mind, trying to find anything. Images popped up, but they were all too blurry to make out and Ino smiled. The alcohol had finally taken its desired effect. The Uchiha frowned and continued trying, but Ino's thoughts simply trailed off, not letting him grab a hold of any of them. The Yamanaka let out a small giggle and stuck her tongue out at the Uchiha. It was at that moment Sasuke realized what she had done. He stood up and looked at Naruto.

"You got her so drunk, she can't even think straight. I can't control her like this."

Naruto blinked and looked at Ino who was grinning at the other blonde.

"She sure outsmarted you both." Gaara chuckled.

"She's not done." Sasuke glared at the redhead. "She needs to genjutsu me now."

Ino popped up from her seat, feeling the whole room spin rapidly, and she stumbled back.

"I got thiis." She raised a hand. "Follow me." She stumbled, slightly and made her way down towards the stairs, everyone in tow. They reached the bottom floor, where the bass line pounded in everyone's ears and Ino grabbed Sasuke's hand, setting him down on a bar stool. "Stay put," She smiled, again. "If you can."

Ino made her way into the mass of bodies, being pushed here and there, and stumbling into various people.

"Maybe we should stop her." Sakura murmured, looking up at Naruto. Tenten nudged Neji and he sighed.

"She's proved herself to both of you. There's no reason for this anymore, Naruto." The Hyuuga told the blonde.

"Oh, Ino's in. Sasuke's just a sore loser."

Sakura, Neji and Tenten rolled their eyes.

On the dance floor, Ino remembered what Izumo had taught her. She gathered the mood in the club, willing all the lust and desire to pool around her, before stretching it out towards the Uchiha. Sasuke could feel her and he gave a slight smirk. She was seducing him though a genjutsu. Clever, very clever. However, he still couldn't see her, which made it easier to resist her. That is, until he caught sight of her. From that point on, his eyes were glued to the blonde and even when she disappeared behind the other bodies, he looked for her. He could feel his false want for her, but that didn't stop him from staring, his eyes focusing only on her. She moved to the beat as well as she could in her state. She couldn't keep this up forever and the alcohol wasn't helping her this time. She smiled as she though of a perfect solution.

Sasuke controlled his breathing. He wanted to get up and go to her, but his male pride glued him to his seat, not willing him to move. However, his pride could do nothing to make him look away. Or to wipe away his glare as he watched a dark silhouette get behind her, hands on her hips and chest against her lace covered back. The Uchiha felt his blood boil, slightly, but he sat firmly in his seat, his foot tapping against the side of his chair. His fists clenched, unknowingly, when the man's hands ghosted over her hips down towards her thighs and began their way inward.

Before he knew it, he was crossing the dance floor. He reached the blonde and pulled her flush against him, in an attempt to get her away from the other person...who wasn't even there, who wasn't even real. He looked down at Ino, in his arms, who smiled. Sasuke couldn't help but chuckle at her intelligence.

"Am I in?" She asked and Sasuke bent down towards her ear.

"After one dance."

"Looks like she's in." Kiba said and looked over at Sasuke and Ino out on the dance floor, moving with the beat.

"Looks like it." Gaara replied.

"She's pretty cute, too." Kiba commented and received a questioning glance from the redhead.

"What?" Kiba shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I love Hinata. But you cant deny that you wouldn't get it in with that." *****

Gaara rolled his eyes. "You're incredibly crude."

"Ah, but you don't deny it, regardless." The brunette teased and Gaara stayed quiet. Kiba raised his eyebrows. "Does our fiery redhead have a little crush on the new member?"

Gaara smirked now. "Like you said, she's pretty cute."

Sasuke pulled Ino out of the mass of bodies, hands intertwined, towards the rest of Spiral.

"Time to go?" Naruto asked and Sakura looked at Ino. She looked like she was ready to pass out at any moment.

"I'd say so." Sakura answered and the Uchiha nodded.

"I'll take her home, if you want." Gaara offered, and Sasuke's grip on the blonde tightened.

"She's not going with any of you." Kurenai raised her hands. "She's coming with us, where she wont fall off a motorcycle."

Everyone seemed okay with that idea, and they began to make their way out of the club, Sasuke's hand never leaving the Yamanaka's. Ino tried her best to focus on walking straight, but she kept on stumbling over her own feet and bumping into people, not to mention her bruise still hurt like hell. Ino felt Sasuke stop, and suddenly felt weightless. She blinked and realized the raven haired man had picked her up, bridal style, and was walking out of the club. Sober Ino would have objected and told him to put her down, but drunk Ino simply snuggled into his chest. Once outside, Sasuke placed Ino in Tenten's car, gently.

"Take her home. Someone has to make sure she doesn't choke on her vomit." Naruto chuckled and Sakura rolled her eyes. "Come on, Sasuke. You'll see your beloved soon." The Uchiha glared at the blonde and got on his own bike.

"Shut up." He growled and waited for the brunette's Camaro to leave the parking lot before following.

Ino groaned as her head lolled to the side.

"Hey, is she awake?" She heard Tenten ask from the drivers seat.

"Is she _alive_?" Temari's voice came from behind her.

"Just barely." Ino muttered and all the girls smiled.

"What you did was amazing." Sakura gushed.

Ino smiled at the compliment and realized she was in the passengers seat. Temari, Hinata and Sakura in the back.

"Where's Kurenai?" Ino asked, her voice cracking.

"Oh, she rode with Asuma." Hinata answered and the blonde nodded, throwing an arm over her eyes, the city lights bothering her double vision.

Once they reached the mansion, Hinata and Temari helped her out, both of them aiding her in standing up straight.

"Where's she going to be staying?" Temari asked and Naruto walked through the door.

"Is Ino going to be in Sasuke's room?" The pinkette asked her boyfriend and he shrugged.

"I guess. After him not even wanting to let her go, seems like the most logical place."

"Well, then." Sakura gestured for the girls to bring Ino up, but as they began their trajectory up the staircase, said Uchiha walked in. Walking up the few steps they had ascended, he placed a hand on Temari's shoulder

"I've got it from here." He assured and Hinata let go of one side. Temari, however, looked doubtful as she let go of the Yamanaka.

"You better not hurt her, Uchiha." The sandy blonde said and made her way towards her own room. Sasuke sighed and pulled Ino up, again, bridal style, and she stirred in his arms.

"I'm sleepy." She murmured.

"Well, we're going to bed." He answered.

"We're?" Ino asked and Sasuke glanced down.

"You'll have to sleep in my bed with me tonight." He expected her to sober up quickly and start kicking and screaming bloody murder, but instead she snuggled her face into his chest and then pulled away.

"Well, you smell good, so it's okay." _She_ expected him to laugh or roll his eyes at her, but instead his obsidian orbs sharped.

"You're dangerous." He whispered, somewhat thinking out loud, but Ino smiled.

"You betcha I am." She giggled and felt the Uchiha shift her and open, what she supposed was, his bedroom door. Without anymore conversation, he placed her on the bed and helped her out of her (or Sakura's) heels. After kicking off his own shoes, he plopped down next to the blonde and heard her groan when the bed dipped, causing her to shift unexpectedly. Still in the midst of her raging headache, she threw an arm across Sasuke's chest in an attempt to find something steady, and buried her head, once again, in his chest. Sasuke hesitated before his arm came around her waist and he closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

Ino felt the bed shift and reached a hand out to stop whatever was moving. Her delicate fingers grabbed on to the object and she sighed, happily.

"Ino, let go."

The Yamanaka's eyes snapped open to see a very irritated looking Uchiha. She let out a shriek and scrambled backwards, falling off the bed, her head coming in contact with the hard floor. She groaned and clutched her blonde hair to stop the throbbing.

"Be careful," She watched Sasuke stand up. "Don't be such a klutz."

Normal Ino would have fired something back, but she simply stood up, ignoring his comment and rubbing the back of her head.

"What happened last night?" She asked. She didn't remember all that much, and waking up in bed with her gang leader wasn't all that reassuring. At least she was fully dressed.

Before being able to answer Ino's question, a knock was heard from the door.

"You guys awake?" She heard Sakura ask.

"Yeah." The Uchiha grunted and the door opened.

"How are you feeling, Ino? I brought you some clothes." The pinkette smiled.

"I don't have that much of a hangover, so that's good. Although I may have a concussion." Ino mirrored her smile. "But, I think I'll just head home, though."

"You cant. You're still not done." Sakura informed and Ino seethed.

"What?" She growled. "I challenged him," She pointed at Sasuke. "And your boyfriend and I won. I was _not_ too drunk to not remember that."

"She means the tattoo." Sasuke informed, grabbing a towel out of the drawer. "You need to get yours."

"Oh?" Ino asked and watched him walk into the bathroom, leaving Ino and Sakura alone. Sakura looked at the door and began to talk only when she heard the shower running.

"Hey, Ino." Sakura said, half-whispering.

"Yeah?" The Yamanaka looked up. She had been surveying the articles of clothing Sakura had brought her.

"You and Sasuke... he didn't _do_ anything to you last night, right?"

Ino blinked and took in Sakura's concerned face. Sakura was honestly worrying about her, and when the Yamanaka didn't respond, her eyebrows knitted together in anger.

"That bastard!" Sakura growled. "How dare he take advantage of you while you were like that. Hell, he's supposed to take _care_ of you-"

"Oh, no, no, Sakura. Nothing happened between us last night, I promise." Ino assured, grabbing onto the Haruno's shoulder. Sakura relaxed and sighed.

"Thank god."

Ino had quickly changed into Sakura's clothes and followed the pink haired girl downstairs for breakfast. Everyone was seated at the table with a few empty chairs here and there. Ino smiled and "good morning"-ed everyone receiving a few acknowledging nods, a smile, a "good morning, Ino-chan", etc. She made her way around the table and took a seat in between the Sand siblings, Temari and Gaara. Ino watched as Kiba grinned, and took a sip of his orange juice, trying to conceal his smile.

"_Wonder what that's all about_." Ino thought to herself and picked up a few pancakes that had made their way to her. Sasuke appeared then, probably getting out of the shower a couple of minutes prior, and raised his eyebrows at Naruto, who held the tray of pancakes.

"We weren't going to start without you. Relax." The blonde assured, rolling his eyes and the Uchiha chuckled, sitting down. The rest of breakfast went by with small talk, a few questions directed at Ino. Suddenly, curiosity got the best of the blonde girl and she glanced at everyone.

"Hey, does _everyone_ at this table have a tattoo?" She asked and the group nodded. "Where does everyone have it?" She inquired, grinning sheepishly.

"Well, where you get it, it's your decision." Tenten informed.

"Mine's on my shoulder blade." Sakura smiled and popped a piece of pancake in her mouth.

"Oh." Ino nodded.

Right after breakfast, the girls decided to drive Ino to the tattoo parlor. The blonde shuffled nervously as she looked around the place. "Guys, I kinda have a phobia with needles. I'll faint, for sure."  
"Well, then I guess you wont feel anything." Temari commented, smiling and Ino glared.

But, true to her word, the Yamanaka passed out as soon as the needle came in contact with her skin. When she woke up hours later, the spiral was imprinted on the top part of her chest, near her shoulder.  
And just like that, it was official. She was a member of Spiral


End file.
